A major division has reportedly surfaced within the Progressive Governors’ Forum as governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) appear split into rival camps over the leadership of the body.
The division within the forum became more pronounced on Friday after a group of governors loyal to Hope Uzodimma reaffirmed their support for him as chairman of the body amid reports of attempts to replace him.
Uzodimma, who currently serves as chairman of the forum, has maintained that he remains the legitimate leader of the PGF alongside Uba Sani, who serves as deputy chairman.
However, another bloc within the forum is believed to be backing Dapo Abiodun and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, further deepening the internal disagreements among APC governors.
Governors reportedly aligned with the Abiodun-led camp are said to include those from Adamawa State, Zamfara State, Delta State, Akwa Ibom State, Cross River State, Rivers State, Bayelsa State, Niger State, Kwara State, Plateau State, Enugu State and Katsina State.
On the other hand, governors backing Uzodimma are reportedly from Kano State, Taraba State, Kebbi State, Yobe State, Lagos State, Gombe State, Kogi State, Edo State, Ekiti State, Ondo State, Sokoto State, Jigawa State, Ebonyi State, Nasarawa State and Kaduna State.
In a show of solidarity, governors loyal to Uzodimma reportedly passed a vote of confidence in him during an emergency meeting held at the Imo State Lodge in Abuja.
The meeting came shortly after the forum denied reports circulating online that Uzodimma had been removed as chairman of the PGF.
Among governors present at the gathering were Umar Namadi, Hyacinth Alia, Nasir Idris, Mai Mala Buni, Abba Yusuf and Ahmed Ododo.
Others in attendance included Francis Nwifuru, Babagana Zulum, Ahmad Aliyu, Agbu Kefas, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Uba Sani of Kaduna State.
The Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Emmanuel Akabe, also attended the meeting on behalf of Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Although details surrounding the disagreement remained unclear as of the time of filing this report, neither faction had officially explained the exact cause of the division within the forum.
The crisis followed earlier reports claiming that Peter Mbah had emerged as the new chairman of the PGF after an alleged extraordinary meeting of APC governors held in Abuja on Thursday night.
According to multiple sources, about 20 governors reportedly attended the closed-door meeting, including governors from Ogun, Bayelsa, and Enugu states, fueling speculation of an ongoing power struggle within the influential governors’ forum.
